


A Stranger's Call

by Little_Wintry



Series: Destiny 1 [4]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny 1, Gen, The Black Garden (Destiny), Venus (Destiny), Zelun before she was all sad n angsty, good ghost & guardian friendship, some kinderguardian shenangins, unedited, whoops guess who forgot how to post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25920256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Wintry/pseuds/Little_Wintry
Summary: Zelun is summoned to Venus via a mysterious message, and finds herself on the brink of her first true feat as a Guardian. 'A Stranger's Call' mission from Destiny, with a few alterations about Zelun.
Series: Destiny 1 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745218
Kudos: 2





	A Stranger's Call

**Author's Note:**

> Solstice of Heroes? I don't know her. 
> 
> Yeah, but I haven't been doing shit, I've been on vacation and obsessively playing Skyrim for the past two weeks, so that's why this is hella delayed. Something quick I felt like writing out. Some good ol' stuff back from the D1 days (I was listening to the soundtrack a bunch too, so that helped). On a personal note, finally making progress with my book and researching some self-publishing! Besides that, stay safe, stay healthy, and hope school goes well for all of those starting soon.
> 
> -Wintry

“Fascinating,” Pirul swiveled around the massive, glowing pillar of data. “A conflux of non-baryonic streams going… where?” His shell twitched with excitement as Zelun stiffened. Something felt wrong.

The sharp scent of metal hit her nose as a noise caught her attention. She whirled around, suddenly faced with three metal things - _Vex._

“Oh no, no!” Pirul’s shell pulsed. “The Vex! Find some sort of cover!”

Just as one of the things raised its arm - some sort of gun? - Zelun ducked to one side, fumbling with her scout rifle for a moment before taking a clean shot at the thing’s head. It twitched, sparks flying everywhere, and began a beeline straight towards her.

“If shooting the head doesn’t kill it, what does?” Zelun said, leaping backward and firing several shots into the metal beast.

By pure luck, one bullet embedded itself into the machine’s center cavity, spewing a white substance everywhere. It landed on Zelun’s armor and sizzled. 

“Well,” Zelun muttered. “Guess that does.”

Zelun felt a small pulse of Light behind her. “Zelun!” Pirul shouted.

She spun around just in time to collide with a metal arm, thrown to the opposite end of the room. What had just hit her was far bigger than the other Vex in the room, and towering over her. Zelun scrambled backward, trying to find her balance as her vision swam.

Zelun blinked. The massive robot was gone.

And suddenly right in front of her.

Letting out a very undignified yelp, Zelun did the first thing she could think of, and swung her fist. It collided with the metal chassis, and pain shot up Zelun’s hand as she heard the crack of bone.

She recoiled her hand with a shriek, clutching it to her chest as she ducked out of another attack.

Pirul’s voice was shrill. “What did you do that for?!”

"I don't know, I thought it might injure it!”

“You thought it would be a good idea to punch the _murderous robot?! You’re not a Titan!”_

“I’ve done stupider! Now shut up and heal my hand!”

As Pirul worked on her right hand, she took her left and unholstered her hand cannon, taking a few good shots at the center of the metal behemoth as more of that white liquid sprayed from the cavity like blood from a wound. 

“Pirul, what the hell is that stuff?” Zelun shouted, the pain in her hand receding. When her Ghost didn’t answer, she craned her head and gave him a dirty look.

“Oh, I’m sorry," He hissed. " _I’m trying to heal several fractured bones in the middle of battle!"_

Zelun grumbled out a response before downing more of the robots closing in on her position. Once the pain in her hand turned to a dull ache, she grabbed her scout rifle, being sure to stay behind cover when she could. At one point, a bolt of energy hit her shoulder, and Zelun sucked in a breath through grit teeth.

She pushed through her pain. Finally, once all the noise had stopped, she peered out from behind her cover and at the metal parts that littered the floor.

Zelun eased herself on the ground, closing her eyes, as Pirul hovered over the debris. 

“Now, let’s see…” He murmured, his shell twitching with interest. “Which one of these is the most intact?”

An unfamiliar voice jerked Zelun out of her dazed state. “Well fought.”

Zelun sat up abruptly. She had always assumed the mechanical tinge in the voice sending her those messages was due to interference, but now she could see it clearly - the stranger who had sent the messages was an Exo. She had a hood drawn over her face, and two bright blue eyes that almost seemed to scan her.

Zelun stood on unsteady feet, her body aching from the fight. “You’re here.”

The stranger went down the steps, brushing by Zelun and Pirul. “We haven’t got much time.”

Following the stranger’s curt manner, Zelun lifted her chin a fraction. “Who are you?”

Zelun felt Pirul hover over her shoulder. “And why have you been watching us?”

The stranger almost seemed to scoff. “I don’t have time to explain why I don’t have time to explain.” She cocked her head to one side, her voice lowered. “I will, I will. I know.”

Pirul’s shell twitched as he focused in on her. “Will what?”

The stranger’s focus returned to them. “I wasn’t talking to you, Little Light.”

“I’m a Ghost, actually,”

“Many Guardians fell, strong ones,” The stranger continued, taking a few steps forward. “But you made it here-" She stopped again, turning her head and almost talking into her shoulder. "Yes, I’m listening. They’re here. With me.”

Pirul did a loop around the stranger’s head, trying to peer under her hood for any sign of an earpiece. “Who is she talking to?”

“Understood,” The stranger said. Her eyes turned to Zelun, and she brushed Pirul out of her way. “You need my help, Guardian.”

Zelun crossed her arms, trying not to let her caution seep into her body language. “Is that why you brought me here?”

The stranger was silent for a moment, her eyes drifting towards the ground. “ _They_ brought us here. The Vex.” She approached the broken body of one of them, still twitching with life. “Evil so dark it despises other evil.” She knelt down for a moment, silent.

Pirul hovered a few feet away. “You’re not a Guardian.”

“No,” The stranger said, turning to Piirul before focusing back on the Vex. “I was not forged in Light.” She stood, pressing her boot over the damaged center of the broken bot. “But I believe where our paths cross, ground… could break.” With her last word, she put the weight down on the foot, and the broken Vex let out a mechanic cry before it stopped moving entirely.

Zelun and PIrul exchanged a glance. Zelun could tell Pirul was wary, but… Zelun trusted this stranger. Whether it be a young Guardian’s naivety or a gut instinct, she trusted her.

The stranger turned back to them. “Have you heard of the Black Garden?”

Piru’s shell constricted. “We’ve heard the legends.”

“I haven’t,” Zelun muttered under her breath.

If the stranger heard her, she gave no acknowledgment. “The greatest threat to us all lies there, where these… _machines_ are born.” She spat out that word with venom in her mouth, scowling at another broken Vex. 

She turned back to Zelun, mechanical eyes boring into her. “Find the Black Garden. Rip out its heart. Only then will your Traveler begin to heal.”

Zelun had so many questions, but asked the one at the forefront of her mind. “Can you help us find it?”

The stranger didn’t meet her eyes. “My path is my own,” She said, a hint of regret in her voice. “I cannot.”

“If we’re going to find the Black Garden,” Pirul said, nervously twitching. Hesitantly, he met Zelun’s eyes. “We need to see the Awoken.” He dropped his voice down a little. “Your people.”

Despite the adrenaline and severity of the situation, Zelun’s heart did flips in her chest. The Awoken? _Her_ _people?_

“Ah, yes, the Awoken,” The stranger said, snapping Zelun out of her thoughts. “Out there waving between the Light and the Dark.” She took a few steps forward, eyes going between Zelun and Pirul.

“A side should always be taken, Little Light.” The stranger’s eyes focused in on Zelun, as if trying to read her soul. “Even if it’s the wrong side.”

This close, Zelun could hear a faint buzz of static as the Stranger tilted her head, listening to that mystery voice. The stranger stiffened, turning on her heel.

“Too late, returning. How many?” Whatever the response was troubled the stranger, because she drew her gun.

“Hold positions, kill the engines, _don’t_ let them find you.” With that, she vanished.

Zelun was still for a second, before she sat on the steps, staring intently at the last place the Stranger was as if she would return. She let out a deep sigh before tilting her head back, letting the tension in her muscles dissipate. 

“So,” She said, trying to contain the excitement in her voice. “How do we find my- the Awoken?”

“They live all the way out at the edge of the Darkness. The last place the Light touches.” Pirul dipped down over a broken Vex, silent for a long time. He almost seemed to sigh.

“Can’t we just stay here with the murderous robots?” He said.

“No,” Zelun said, chuckling and trying to hide a smirk. “ _Little Light.”_

Pirul spun back around to her, quickly shaking his head. “Don’t do that.”

Zelun laughed, picking Pirul up and holding him close to her chest. “C’mon, buddy. We got a garden to find.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, you got this far! Thanks! Leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed - I've been a bit out of sorts, writing-wise lately, and would love the positivity. I really wanted to write something short and sweet from D1, since I think we all could use a break from negativity - both in real life and in video games. This is also a reminder that you're allowed to take a break every now and again. Also, if anybody has some Destiny writing prompts, pretty please comment them, I've been totally out of ideas recently. Once again, stay safe, stay healthy, and good luck with school for those starting :)
> 
> -Wintry


End file.
